The practice of extracting mustard oil was once considered obsolete in Zhemgang, as imported cooking oils became widely available in nearby towns. However, due to the soaring price of imported oils and disruption in the supply chain during the pandemic, farmers in Zhemgang decided to revive this long-lost tradition of mustard oil extraction.
Kikhar village’s oil mill under Nangkor Gewog is the only such facility available in the district to extract mustard oil. People from Shingkhar, Bardo and Nangkor bring their mustard seeds to the unit for extraction. This many said is helping revive the practice of extracting mustard oil for self-consumption.
“We cannot afford to buy imported oils. Moreover, the local one tastes better. We come to Nangkor because we do not have an oil mill in our village but I am told there is one coming up at Thrisa village but it’s incomplete,” said Kezang, a resident of Wamling.
“We do not extract mustard oil for commercial purposes, it’s solely for self-consumption,” said Kinzang, a resident of Buli.
“The oil can be used for cooking purposes and I am told it is nutritious. I have seen many people come here to extract oil because I think there are not many mills elsewhere in Zhemgang,” said Tsewang Dorji, a resident of Kikhar.
51-year-old Chimi of Kikhar village runs this oil mill, which was installed in 2005. He said having an oil expeller machine allows villagers to become self-sufficient in terms of their mustard oil needs. They no longer have to rely on imported oils, which they say is helping them save money.
“There was an agriculture officer who helped me install this machine and we bought fit through a cost-sharing scheme. Mustard oil cultivation was on a decline here. People have been mostly growing wheat and barley but with the mill available here, people have started cultivating mustard oil. In the past, I used to charge Nu 50 to extract one tin of mustard seeds but with an increase in diesel price, I raised the charge to Nu 150. Now I charge them Nu 150,” said Chimi, a resident of Kikhar.
In Zhemgang, people grow two varieties of mustard locally known as Payka Serb and Payka Nab. Mustard plants are cultivated during the month of September and are harvested in March.
Pema Samdrup, Zhemgang
Edited by Kipchu
